The Three-Timing Jerk
by brendachong
Summary: When a creep starts dating 3 members of the BSC, will it ruin their friendship? Or will they wise up and take revenge?
1. Claudia

Claudia

Claudia

I tore open a bag of peanut M&Ms and picked out a red one, popping it into my mouth. Kristy Thomas held out her hand, and I poured some in.

It was Monday, and we were at our regular BSC meeting. It was five-twenty-eight, and some members had still not arrived. In two minutes time, Kristy (the president) would call the meeting to order. She always did everything on the dot.

I munched my M&Ms and thought about tonight. I was going on a date with Harry, a sixteen-year-old guy who had just joined my art class at the community center. He said his family had moved here from Arizona. He was super-cute, with jet-black hair and dark brown eyes. He was Asian like me, but Chinese instead of Japanese.

"Claudia? Claudia?" a hand covered in silver rings and the nails painted sparkly pink waved in my face, jolting me out of my thoughts. 

"Yes?" I said. Stacey had arrived, and she was collecting dues. She shook the manila envelope under my nose.

"Oh, sorry." I dug out my current purse, one that I had gotten from the thrift store at Washington Mall. It was made of tie-dyed silk in red, yellow and orange, and shaped like an autumn leaf. I unzipped it and fished out some money.

"Thanks, Claud." Stacey moved on to Mary Anne.

"Any new business?" Kristy asked, frowning at me for spacing out. I turned away, embarrassed.

"Yeah. Mrs Braddock is seeing someone new. He plays the guitar, and is a jerk, trust me." Jessi, who had just come from a sitting job, made a face. Mrs Braddock is the mother of Haley and Matt, two of our sitting charges. She had just recently gotten divorced. By the way, Matt is deaf but a great kid.

"Really?" Kristy leaned forward, intrigued.

"Mm-hmmm. He has a beard, and it's extremely dirty. His hair is black and getting long, and it stinks. Also, he wears clothes like torn jeans or stained shirts. The children hate him, because he's rude and mean. But Mrs Braddock seems to love him." Jessi rolled her eyes.

"Great. Write it up in the notebook." Kristy tossed it to her. Jessi found a pen in her backpack, uncapped it and began to scribble furiously.

"Anyone else?" Kristy looked around the room. She glanced at me and signaled that she wanted more M&Ms. I handed the whole bag to her and reached into my underwear drawer for some chips and pretzels. The pretzels were for Stacey and Dawn, of course.

The phone rang, and Mallory reached for it. "Hello, Babysitters Club. Oh, hi, Mr Papadakis." After she hung up, we arranged for Abby to sit for Linny, Hannie and Sari Papadakis on Thursday at five. 

The time passed slowly. We chomped on junk food, chatted and answered phone calls. I noticed that besides me, Mallory and Abby also seemed to be spacing out. "What's wrong?" Mary Anne asked them, concerned.

Abby shook her head, her chocolate curls swinging from side to side. "It's just that Dad's fifth death anniversary is coming up. Mom's been acting like a totally different person. She hasn't gone to work since last week, and spends all her time at home crying and moping. She only goes out when we're at school, to buy flowers and presents to bring to the cemetery. I really don't get it. I hope she'll snap out of it by Saturday, when we go to visit his grave."

We all fell silent then. Abby's father died in a car accident when she and her twin sister Anna were nine. None of us know what it's really like to lose a close relative, except maybe me, when my grandmother Mimi died.

By six o'clock, we had arranged a few more sitting jobs and then Kristy adjourned the meeting. "Need a ride home, Abby?" she asked. "Charlie's picking me up, as usual."

"Okay." Abby and Kristy went downstairs, followed by Mary Anne and Dawn, who had ridden their bikes over. Jessi and Mallory headed down next. Only Stacey hovered in my room.

"Claud? What's with you?" she wanted to know. 

"Me? Oh, nothing." I opened my closet and rummaged through, trying to find the perfect outfit. 

"Are you sure?" Stacey asked suspiciously. She folded her arms across her lavender T-shirt. "I'm your best friend, you know. I can read your mind."

I grabbed a bunch of hangers and dumped them all onto my bed. "Really, it's nothing. I have a date tonight with a real hunk. That's why I haven't been paying attention during the meeting."

"Really?" Stacey's eyes lit up. "Want me to help you choose your outfit? Mom won't be back by eight-thirty. She's going out with some girlfriends."

"Sure!" I shut my wardrobe and began sifting through my dresser drawers for tops. "I really want to impress this guy. It's our first time out together."

Half an hour later, Stacey had gone home. We had settled on an outfit – an ankle-length brightly colored silk skirt that matched my autumn leaf purse; a navy blue denim spaghetti-strap top under a black leather jacket; and black Doc Martens with neon yellow laces. 

For accessories, we had chosen matching autumn leaf earrings (I had bought them together with the purse); a necklace I had made myself out of large wooden beads painted in the same three colors; a bracelet I made out of yellow and black shoelaces; and a gold ring my ex-boyfriend Alan had given me. 

Finally I tied my long black hair into a French braid and fastened it with a yellow rubber band at the end.

I checked my watch. Harry would be arriving at seven. I decided to catch up on some homework before he came.

_Ding-dong!_ The doorbell rang when I had nearly finished all the math problems. I slammed my book shut, grabbed my purse and ran downstairs, careful not to trip over my long skirt. 

Mom and Dad had opened the door to greet Harry. I could tell they liked him, maybe because he was handsome and polite. He was wearing khakis, a button-down shirt, sneakers and his hair was slicked back with gel. His jacket was slung over one arm.

"Hi, Claudia," he called. His perfect features broke into a soft smile. I linked my arm through his.

"Have fun, dear," Mom said. Harry and I walked out the front door. "Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad!" I waved as we started down the walk. A black Honda was parked at the end of the driveway.

Harry opened the door for me and I got in. He got in the other side and we drove off into the night.

Two hours later, Harry and I were sitting on a bench outside Washington Mall, licking ice cream cones. We had eaten burritos and enchiladas at Casa Grande, then had dessert at Donut Express. After a bit of shopping, Harry bought us cones from a vendor and we sat outside to eat.

Harry put his arm around me and we savored our ice cream. Harry's was strawberry; mine chocolate. It was late autumn, and the leaves were falling. The trees rustled in the wind.

"Did you know you're really beautiful, Claud?" he whispered. His breath tickled my ear. I turned and smiled at him.

We sat like that until we finished our cones, then went inside the mall again. At the Merry-Go-Round, this cool accessories store, Harry bought me a bracelet.

"Thanks," I said, slipping it on. "You know, Harry, it's getting late," I added. "We should get home before my parents worry."

"Don't you want to spend time with me?" he whined, but he was grinning. "Okay, then. I'll take you home."

Harry pulled up in front of my house fifteen minutes later. He turned to me and said, "You know, Claud, I had a really fun time tonight." He took my hand, and I tingled.

"We really should go on another date again," he continued. He leaned in really close and suddenly, his lips were on mine. We kissed softly.

The porch light went on, and Dad, Mom and Janine appeared in the shadows. Harry and I broke apart quickly.

"I better go," I muttered, picking up my purse. "See you in art class tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye!" He watched me get out of the car. I hurried up the front stoop, then spun around and waved. Harry waved back, and zoomed off. 

Mom smiled at me, like she knew something. "Better get ready for bed. Don't forget you have school tomorrow." Usually she wouldn't let me go on a date on a school night, but I had done unusually well on a science test last week, so she agreed.

"Okay!" I replied gaily, going into the house. I was on top of the world. 


	2. Stacey

Stacey

Stacey

A week later 

"Stace, don't forget you're going to New York tomorrow. Have you packed?" Mom called out from the kitchen as I entered the house. I had just gotten back from my Friday BSC meeting.

"Okay, okay!" I called back. I went upstairs and threw some clothes into my overnight bag. Then I went downstairs again to join Mom. She was standing at the counter, making a salad.

I helped to chop up some carrots and cucumbers, and put them into the big wooden salad bowl. Mom shelled some hard-boiled eggs and added them in. After that we also added lettuce, tomatoes, green and red peppers, chopped nuts, grapes, strawberries, and Thousand Island Dressing.

After dinner (we had the salad, which was terrific, and leftover spaghetti), Mom and I watched a sad romance movie and ate popcorn. At ten-thirty, I dragged myself upstairs and collapsed into bed.

The next day, I took the eleven-oh-six train to New York. When I got off at the station, Dad was waiting for me with his fiancée, Samantha.

"Hi," I greeted them. I handed Dad my overnight bag and we took a taxi to his apartment. Dad ordered lunch from a deli and we ate in the kitchen.

Just as I took a bite of my roast beef sandwich, Dad put his juice glass down. He cleared his throat loudly. I dropped my sandwich back onto my plate. Samantha hadn't even started to eat yet.

"What?" I demanded. I wasn't annoyed, just curious.

"Stacey, I think there's something you should know," he continued, exchanging a look with Samantha. She's been living with Dad for a while, but the wedding isn't going to be very soon.

"Yes?" I said. I picked up my glass of milk and took a swig.

"I'm pregnant." Samantha didn't look me in the eye when she said this. She just stared at her hands, which were folded in her lap.

"Whaaat!" I spat out my milk in surprise. It sprayed across the table into Dad's salad. "Anastasia!" he exclaimed. "Sorry," I squeaked.

Dad shook his head. "Never mind. Look, I know this is hard for you to accept, Stace, but you are happy for us, right?"

I was simply speechless. I just nodded, trying to cram this new bit of information into my brain, which didn't seem to be responding.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't tell your mother just yet," Dad droned on. "I know she won't approve, because we aren't officially married. Try your best to keep this a secret, please?"

I nodded again. What did this mean? I was going to have a stepsister or stepbrother? All along I had been an only child. I hoped the new kid would be cute, not bratty.

"Thanks, Stace. Now let's eat." Dad dug into his salad. I bit into my sandwich, but suddenly I didn't seem to have any appetite. 

"I—I think I'll go take a walk outside. _Alone_." I pushed back my chair and left the table. I rushed out to the front door, snatching my parka from the front hall. I didn't give Dad a chance to yell, "Stacey, it's too dangerous!"

The streets of New York on a Saturday afternoon were busy. People bustled up and down the sidewalks. Snow fell, and I caught a tiny flake on my glove.

"Excuse me, coming through!" a teenage boy burst out from a salon and crashed straight into me. We both tumbled to the ground.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Are you all right?" He pulled me up, and I got a good look at him. My breath caught in my throat. He was so cute! He had a spiky cut, dyed platinum blond. His skin was the same creamy shade as Claudia's. 

"I'm fine," I mumbled. I smoothed down my blond curls, hoping I looked okay. 

We fell into step together. "So, are you a native?" he asked as we walked.

"Uh, yeah," I replied. I still couldn't seem to look him in the eye.

"Well, I'm not. I just came up here for a weekend to visit some relatives. I just can't get used to New York City. It's so busy and noisy, unlike my home."

"Oh. I was born and raised here, but I live with my mom most of the time. In Stoneybrook, Connecticut. My parents are divorced, you see. I visit my dad here practically every weekend."

"Stoneybrook? Really?" the guy stared at me. "No kidding? Me, too! I live there. Well, actually, my hometown is Arizona, but we just recently moved to Stoneybrook. By the way, my name's Erik. How 'bout you?"

"St—" I started to say, but then I thought Anastasia was more grownup, and would impress him. "Anastasia," I corrected myself. "Anastasia McGill."

"Well, Anastasia. Want to show me around New York?" Erik smiled then, showing a row of pearly whites.

"Of course!" I turned the corner, and he followed. "We'll start with Bloomingdales, my favorite store."

As I unlocked the apartment door an hour later, I was grinning from ear to ear. My bad mood had lifted, and I was feeling really good. Erik and I had exchanged addresses and telephone numbers, promising to contact each other the moment we got back to Stoneybrook.

"Stace?" Dad said as I entered the living room. He was sitting stiffly on the couch. "Um, yeah," I said cautiously. Was he mad for me leaving just like that?

"Are you still mad, sweetheart?" he patted the spot next to him and I sat down. Dad smoothed back my hair.

"No, I suppose not," I replied. I stared at the remote control on the coffee table.

"Great. Because, well, I thought you might be a little upset that Sammy and I are so close now. But you and I still have that special bond." He rested his chin on my head for a few seconds, then said, "Sammy? Are you alright?"

Samantha had come into the living room. Her face was pale. "I'm fine," she said shakily. "I just wonder why my morning sickness comes in the afternoon." She rubbed her stomach queasily.

"Don't worry, I know you'll be fine." Dad jumped up and put his arm around her shoulders. "Do you want to lie down? I'll take you to our room." He led her away.

I glared at them, and narrowed my eyes. It was going to be a long weekend.

The moment I got back to my house in Stoneybrook, I closed my door, settled down on my bed, picked up the phone and dialed. Thankfully Erik was already home. We chatted for hours. When I hung up, I learnt that he had an adopted sister with frizzy red hair and a black hamster called Thundercloud. He had asked me out for Friday _and _Saturday night.

"Good," I thought. "Now I don't have to face Dad and Samantha."


	3. Mallory

mallory

Mallory

I waved goodbye to my best friend Jessi and hurried up the front steps. It was snowing, and my glasses got all foggy. I unlocked the door and let myself into a world of chaos.

Stepping over jackets, mittens and bags, I slid past 8-year-old Nicky who was playing with our basset hound Pow on the carpet and ducked up the stairs. 

My 10-year-old triplet brothers were wrestling in the upstairs hallway. "Move it," I snapped, going into my room. My sisters Claire and Margo were lying on their bunk beds, arms crossed.

"What's going on?" I said, dropping my backpack and books. "Nothing," Margo snarled, glaring at the ceiling.

"You can't hide from me. I know everything." I unbuckled my backpack and took out my diary. I got a golden felt tip pen from a cup on my desk, settled down on my bed and began to scrawl.

"Margo won't lend me her new shoes!" Claire cried, big tears rolling down her cheeks. So that was what it was about. Margo had just gotten a pair of electric pink trainers with silver stripes down the sides.

"It's her birthday next week," I reminded Claire. "And besides, they're too big for you." I finished writing, capped my pen, closed my diary and put it back into my bag. "Come on." I scooped Claire up and carried her downstairs.

"Can I have a snack?" Claire asked, her tears drying. She took a paper napkin from a metal container on the kitchen counter and blew her nose noisily.

"Sure. How 'bout a Super Duper Mallory Surprise Snack?" I got some stuff out of the cabinets.

"Yay!" Claire hopped onto a chair and rested her chin in her hands. Sometimes when she's throwing a tantrum, it's best to just pamper her.

Fifteen minutes later, when I had settled Claire with a tuna and egg sandwich and a glass of chocolate milk, I fixed myself a bowl of cereal and sat with her. At three-forty, Mom returned from Stacey's house, where she had been helping Ms Spencer (as Stacey's mom now liked to be called) to mend a pair of suede boots. 

"Hi, Mal," she said, putting down her purse. Claire held up her arms and Mom picked her up. "You big baby. When will you ever grow up?" she asked in mock despair, rocking Claire up and down. Claire giggled.

I went up to my room and did homework until five-fifteen. When I went down again, Dad was back. "What're you doing home so early?" I asked.

Dad shook his head, loosening his tie. He placed one finger over his lips. I shrugged. Mom appeared, shooing my other siblings into the living room. We all plunked down on the sofa, chairs or floor.

"Kids," Dad began just as Mom bit her lip. "There's something we want you to know." "What?" Jordan interrupted from where he was lying on the floor.

"Jordan," Dad said, silencing him with a Look. "We'll be having a visitor to the Pike household very soon."

"Grandma?" I said hopefully. "Santa Claus?" Adam joked with a snicker.

"No, not them. As a matter of fact…" Dad put his hand over Mom's and squeezed tightly. 

"Is it a new pet? Are you getting me a bunny rabbit for Christmas?" Claire asked, scrambling into Dad's lap. 

"No. Actually, Claire, you aren't going to be the youngest very much longer. You guys will be getting a new sister or brother." Dad and Mom held gazes.

"What!" I nearly fell off the sofa. "You're pregnant?"

Even the triplets and Nicky had nothing to say. They stared at one another, their mouths agape.

"No," Mom said, her eyes sparkling. "We're adopting. We were put on the waiting list years ago, before Mallory was born. That was the year my ex-doctor told us I couldn't conceive. Anyway, we never took our names off, and finally they got a kid for us. We just found out this afternoon. That means we're going to have to tighten our belts. The expenses for a new kid are a lot. Food, clothes and furniture. Also, we might get a new house some time _after_ he or she comes. A bigger one to accommodate all of us."

I caught a glimpse of the clock on the wall. It was five-twenty-three. If I didn't get to Claudia's house soon, Kristy would give me hell.

"I need to go for my BSC meeting," I said, getting up. "Talk to you guys later! Bye!" I dashed to the garage for my bike.

I made it through Claud's bedroom door just as the red numbers on her digital clock flipped over to 5.30. Kristy shot me a Look and called the meeting to order.

All through the meeting, I was restless. I squirmed and fidgeted, not paying a bit of attention to anything that was happening. All I could think about was this surprise announcement from my parents.

"What's with you?" Jessi whispered, poking me in the ribs. I shook my head. "Tell you later," I mouthed back.

Just before the meeting ended, there were no job calls. I took the chance to say, "Guys? I have something to tell you."

Seven heads swiveled towards me. They all looked curious. I took a deep breath. "It's like this. Mom told us only just now. I'm getting a new sibling."

"She's _pregnant_?" Kristy exclaimed in disbelief. Claudia slapped her forehead and said, "Oh, my lord!" Jessi just gasped. Mary Anne got all teary. Dawn shook her head very slowly. Stacey's eyes widened to the size of saucers. Abby said, "Wait a minute. A _ninth _kid?"

"No, no. Hold your horses. They're adopting." I explained the situation to them. They still looked shocked. "Well," Kristy said. "Couldn't they just reject the offer? I mean, it's not like they _have_ to take the kid, right? They could always say they changed their minds." 

"I dunno," I said with a shrug. "Maybe you can't. But whatever it is, Mom and Dad are accepting. And I'm going to get a new brother or sister."

A few things happened at once. Kristy adjourned the meeting, Mary Anne burst into floods of tears, Jessi whispered, "Let's talk on the way home," and Abby repeated, "I don't believe it! Nine kids!"

Jessi and I said goodbye hurriedly and went down. We pushed our bikes along, walking alongside each other. "So you're serious? A new sibling?"

I nodded. "I think he or she will probably be quite young, like Emily Michelle was. Claire might not take it too well. She likes being the baby of the family."

"Oh. Well, I hope everything turns out okay. Tell me any new happenings, okay?" Jessi asked as she turned down her street.

"Okay!" I agreed brightly, waving. I got onto my bike and began to pedal. Suddenly someone yelled, "Hey! Hey, wait up!"

I whipped around, jamming on the brakes. A super cute Asian guy with black hair was cycling towards me. "Hey," he said with a grin as he approached. He slowed down. "What's your name?"

"Mallory," I said slowly. "Why'd you stop me?"

"Oh, sorry. I thought you were my sister. She looks exactly like you from the back." He extended a hand. "My name's Clark."

I shook it. "Hi, Clark. Where do you live?" 

He told me, and it was only one street away from mine! We cycled along, chatting like old pals. By the time we reached my house, he had asked me out for Saturday afternoon. I couldn't wait. __


	4. Last Chapter

stacey2

Claudia

I paid the vendor and took my chocolate chip cone, stepping away from the booth. I was outside Washington Mall again, this time with my family. The settings reminded me of my first date with Harry. We had gone out many times after that over the following two weeks, and our eighth date would be tomorrow night.

"Come over and sit with us, Claud," Mom called from where she, Dad and Janine were seated on a bench. I squeezed in between her and Dad. We admired the trees silently, their leaves swaying in the breeze.

"Spring is here, isn't it?" Janine commented softly. "Yeah," we replied.

I finished my cone and decided to go get a soda. Getting up from the bench, I bought a Coke and started to walk back when I saw a couple walking in front of me. From the back, they looked extremely familiar.

"Harry?" I said uncertainly. The black-haired boy turned and his face broke into a grin. "Oh, uh, hi, Claud. I didn't expect to see you here!"

"Who's that?" I asked, jerking my chin at the pale redhead with him. She hadn't turned around, so I couldn't see her face. She was listening to her Discman, so obviously she couldn't hear me speaking.

"My sister," he muttered, positioning himself in between me and her. "She's twelve. Her name's Peggy. She was adopted," he explained. That was why she wasn't Asian like him.

"Gotta go. My parents are waiting." He grabbed Peggy's hand and yanked her towards the parking lot where his black Honda was parked.

"Weird," I murmured with a shrug. "From the back, she looked just like Mal."

Stacey

I checked the clock. Eight-fifty-eight. Erik was supposed to arrive at nine. We were going to watch a movie on cable. Mom was out with some girlfriends. She had said it was okay as long as we stayed in the living room and didn't take alcoholic drinks. (There were a dozen cans of beer in the fridge, for when Mom was feeling down.)

The doorbell rang three minutes after nine. I swung the front door open. He had dyed his hair black. "What's with the new color?" I asked. 

"Just felt like it." He put his arms around my waist and we went over to the sofa. I had put sodas and a bowl of popcorn on the coffee table.

"So, what's on?" Erik switched the television on and flipped through the channels. He helped himself to a big handful of popcorn.

"How about _Medical Investigators_?" I suggested, turning it to the channel. It was a comedy about two detectives who had to solve a mystery in a hospital and went undercover as doctors. They ended up falling in love.

"All right." We munched popcorn for ten minutes, keeping our eyes on the screen. Suddenly, Erik got bored. He kissed my lips and I glanced at him.

"Isn't this fun?" Erik asked, trailing a row of kisses over my forehead. I turned my head and he kissed my hair. 

"Let's go up to your room." He switched off the television. "No, Mom said we have to stay here," I protested. "Come on, Stace, it won't do any harm." I allowed Erik to drag me upstairs.

"I'm not sure we should be doing this," I warned as we sat down on my bed. "No, really, it's okay. Aren't you enjoying yourself?" Erik said as he stuck his hands under my blouse and fingered the edge of my bra.

"Don't do this," I said nervously, pulling his hand off. I had never gone this far with a guy before, and I didn't like it.

"Relax! Anastasia, you're fourteen, right?"

"Yeah." Technically, this wasn't a lie. My birthday was coming soon.

"Then chill." Erik began touching, and I didn't like it. "Stop that!" I said firmly. I sat up and he glared. Then I heard a car engine. "Mom's home," I mumbled, backing off. "We better get downstairs." 

Mom had just come into the living room, jingling her car keys. "Hi! How was the movie?" 

"Fine," I mumbled, smoothing my blouse back into place. Erik scooped up some popcorn and stuffed it into his mouth. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Spencer. I have to go. Bye, Anastasia. See you tomorrow." We had arranged to go to the park for a picnic breakfast with his family. He escaped out the front door.

"Anastasia?" Mom questioned, raising her eyebrows quizzically. She held up the more-than-half-full bowl of popcorn and gestured at the unopened cans of drink.

"We weren't hungry," I lied, avoiding her eyes. "And Erik prefers to call me that. He says it's more sophisticated than Stacey."

"Alright," Mom said, gathering up the stuff. She took it into the kitchen. "Go to bed, Stace. It's getting late, and you have to be up early tomorrow."

The next morning, Saturday, I woke up at six-thirty. The sun hadn't even risen yet. I searched my closet and found a good outfit – a red and white striped sweatshirt with matching sweatpants; a red sweatband to hold back my blond hair; and red and white Adidas trainers. I washed up and ran downstairs. 

Mom was still sleeping, of course. I packed a picnic basket of healthy food – cheese and ham sandwiches, apples, pears, and some carrots. Erik and his family would be bringing other stuff, too.

A car honked, and I went outside. This time it was a blue Toyota, driven by Erik's dad. His mom was in the front passenger seat. Erik and his sister Peggy, who had an amazing resemblance to Mallory because of their red hair, were in the back. I squeezed in next to them.

"Hi, Stace," Erik said with a soft smile as he slipped an arm around my waist. I was glad he wasn't mad about last night. 

When we reached the park, we laid out a picnic mat and spread out the food. Peggy got some bread and wandered over to the pond to feed the ducks and swans. Erik's dad started to jog. Erik's mom got out a magazine and began to read.

Erik and I crunched oatmeal cookies and he told me about his family – his dad was Chinese-American. So was his mom, but then she had died. On a business trip to Vietnam, his dad had met and married Erik's stepmother. Then they had adopted Peggy. So now it was just the four of them. 

After some yogurt and fruit, Erik and I got ready to jog. We went halfway around the park when I started feeling bad.

"Hang on," I called weakly, gripping a pine tree for support. I bent over, panting. "Are you all right?" Erik asked in concern, slowing down.

"I need some food. Go to the picnic basket. There're carrots in there," I instructed, trying not to faint.

"Okay!" Erik zoomed off and returned with the carrots. "Here." He gave them to me. I ate two and began to feel better.

"Fine now?" Erik asked, helping me up. We headed back to the picnic mat and I finished all the carrots. We were guzzling mineral water to cool down when I heard a familiar voice say, "Stacey?"  
I looked up. Claudia was peering down at me, her black hair flowing down her back. "What're you doing here? And… Harry?" she stared at Erik.

"What's going on here?" I asked, standing up. Erik's face was red as a tomato. 

"Stacey, how could you?" Claudia cried. "You stole my boyfriend!" she accused. "When you heard about how cute and nice Harry was, you went and started dating him yourself!"

"What!" I couldn't believe my ears. "Who the heck is Harry?"

"Harry! Tell her!" Claudia looked straight at… Erik! I glared at him. "What the cheese is going on here? Erik?"

Both Claudia and I bore down menacingly on him. He got to his feet. "I can explain everything!" Erik/Harry said, holding up his hands.

"Then explain," Claudia growled. She shot him a poisonous look.

"My real name is Erik Harry Clark," he said. "Clark is the American last name my father adopted when he moved here. He wanted to fit in."

"Anyway, I told Claudia my name was Harry because I thought it was nicer than Erik. But when I met _you, _Stace, I figured you might know Claudia because you're both in the same grade. That's why I told you I was called Erik, so that you and Claudia wouldn't find out I was two-timing you guys. When I came out from the salon that day, I had just cut my hair and dyed it blond, for fun. So the moment I returned to Stoneybrook, I dyed it black so Claudia wouldn't be suspicious."

"I see," I said icily. "So that's how you did it." 

"Right," Erik said. He glanced nervously at both of us. "Am I in trouble?"

"You bet!" Claudia and I shouted simultaneously. We moved towards him and he backed away quickly. He got closer and closer to the duck pond, and we stepped in really close… SPLASH! We shoved Erik into the water. "Aargh!" he spluttered, trying to keep afloat. "I'm going to kill you!"

Claudia

I explained to Mom and Dad that something had come up, and I needed to go home right away. Stacey and I left really fast, before Erik's parents found out we had pushed their darling son into the water.

We reached my house and went up to my room. "I can't believe it!" I burst out as I flopped down on my bed.

"Yeah!" Stacey added angrily. "The nerve of him. I mean, two-timing us? That jerk!" She slammed her fist into my pillow.

"That's not all. I still can't believe you didn't tell me you were dating him," I said. I gave her a dirty look.

"No, that's not important. What's important is, we get revenge." Stacey curled her fingers around my pillow and crushed it. "Don't you think he deserves to be punished?"

"Exactly," I said thoughtfully, a plan beginning to hatch in my brain. "I have an idea…"

On Monday at the BSC meeting, Stacey and I had already planned Operation: Get Revenge On Erik. We waited impatiently for the rest of the BSC members to arrive, so we could tell them about it. At 5.29, only Mallory wasn't here yet.

"Sorry!" Mallory yelled, bursting into the room at 5.31. "Sorry, Kristy. I was on a date. I have the best boyfriend! His name is Clark!"

"What!" Stacey and I gasped at the same time. We smelled a rat! We listened to Mallory's description of "Clark" à Asian-American, black hair, almond-shaped eyes, fair complexion… it was definitely him.

"Mal," Stacey said slowly. "We have news for you."

"What?" Mal asked. We told her all about Erik Harry Clark and his evil three-timing scheme. She was furious, just as we expected. We updated them on our revenge plan and they were all for it…

On Tuesday afternoon after school, we met at the Chez Maurice restaurant. We had made reservations, of course – under Erik's name. Part of the plan was to make HIM pay for it!

Erik arrived nervously. Stacey and I had told him that we were ready to forgive him and would meet at the restaurant to talk things out. He still had no idea Mallory had found out, too, though.

"Hello, I'm Mary Anne," our secretary said, leading him to the table. Kristy pushed him firmly into the chair and sat down.

"So," Stacey said, leaning forward. I leaned forward too, and we glared fiercely at him. From the next table, Jessi whipped out a pair of silver scissors and snipped off a huge amount of black hair.

"What, the –" Erik whirled around and glared at her. She smiled sweetly.

"Okay, so this is how it goes –" Stacey began. She snagged a glass of water from a tray that a passing waiter was carrying and emptied it into Erik's lap. He froze as ice water soaked through his designer jeans.

Dawn strolled past casually and sprinkled a handful of powdered dye into his hair. 

"What did you just do?" Erik demanded, rubbing his head. "Aw, don't worry," Abby soothed, handing him a wet towel. He rubbed it through his hair and we all started to giggle. The dye would stick for about two weeks, and it couldn't be washed out. He would have bright pink hair!

"Don't worry," I said, stifling myself. "It's all gone."

Now for the big one. Right on cue, Mallory opened the door and strode in. "Hello, Clark," she greeted him, taking her seat beside me. She opened the menu and signaled to the waiter, ordering the three most expensive dishes.

"Mallory?" Erik couldn't believe his eyes. "Yup," Mal replied. "Don't forget, you're paying for the food. After all, you asked me out."

"I did?" Erik shook his head. He looked dazed. When the food arrived, we asked to have it put in bags to take home. 

Kristy collected the bags while Mary Anne and Dawn distracted him.

"Thanks for the meal, Clark," Mallory said graciously, standing up. Stacey and I got up too. Kristy and the rest of them made a quick exit. 

"Bye!" Mallory said, waving as she marched off. Stacey and I followed, in single file. Erik just stared at us. 

"Don't forget to pay for the food!" Stacey reminded him cheerfully. She and Mallory slipped out the door.

"Oh, one more thing, Erik," I added brightly just before I left. "You have bright pink hair!" I got out of there fast. 

The moment we were all outside on the sidewalk, we burst into laughter. It was all worth it, seeing the look on his face. 

EPILOGUE

Anyway, it all turned out well. Erik and his family moved away, and we never heard from them again. And Stacey and Mallory and I all promised each other we would always tell each other about any boyfriend we ever had. 


End file.
